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My experience attending Sephoria for the first time!

Writer's picture: Jerilyn HarperJerilyn Harper

This year, I attended Sephoria, a beauty playground hosted by Sephora, and had an absolute blast. Free beauty product samples, a perfume carnival, and even a masterclass taught by the Queen of Chrome herself—it was a dream. Sephoria is an annual beauty extravaganza that brings together over 50 top brands, including Fenty Hair, Phlur, NARS, and more. This year, I had the chance to attend masterclasses led by industry legends like Dannesa Myricks, the Queen of Chrome.

As a first-time Sephoria attendee, I couldn’t wait to dive in. My ticket was for the three-hour session starting at 5 p.m., and as a self-designated fashion inspirator, I took my outfit choice seriously. I spent way too much time watching TikToks on what to wear while snacking on popcorn (true story). I landed on an aesthetic that was a blend of comfort and “dress to impress.” My deep-ocean blue tie layered over a blue button-up said, “Sephora is my classroom, and I’m here to learn.” I paired it with medium-wash Future Collective jeans and denim Angelina Platform 55mm Sandals. I got so many compliments—mission accomplished.


My "I have arrived" selfie!
My "I have arrived" selfie!

When I first arrived, I was a little nervous since I was attending solo. I made sure to get to the line by 4:20 p.m. to snag a good spot. I tried chatting with other girls in line, but my social anxiety was defrosting in real-time. Thankfully, the magic words “Can you take my picture?” sparked a conversation with another Sephora attendee. She was an esthetician and a beauty advisor at Sephora, and we instantly hit it off. She worked at Sephora’s headquarters, so I couldn’t stop gushing over her job. Soon enough, we were ready to enter this beauty lover’s dream.


You can never go wrong with a pink  Lacroix!
You can never go wrong with a pink Lacroix!

Walking through the purple gates, my first booth was a refreshing stop at the LaCroix sparkling water activation booth. My first-time having a LaCroix was on a trip to Anchorage, Alaska, and I’ve been hooked ever since. They were giving away free Strawberry Peach flavored LaCroix. And you can never go wrong with the flavors peach or mango. Next I walked into the rooms with all the photo backdrops. Since I went to this event solo, I asked the staff around for help to capture my greatness, The Sephoria staff were the best hype squad during the photo ops—my girls were getting all the angles. Afterward, I crossed the bridge into the main event area, where the booths were set up. I felt at home surrounded by beauty lovers.



Full-length outfit check
Full-length outfit check


The first booth I visited was KAY ALI’s fragrance carnival-themed booth. There was a 30-minute wait, but the perfume samples were totally worth it. I love smelling good, so by the end of the experience, I’d picked up four samples to try out, including EDEN JUICY APPLE, which I mentioned in my GROWN MAG article.



NARS lipstick in the shade "Unrestrained"
NARS lipstick in the shade "Unrestrained"

Next, I stopped by NARS and chatted with the lip print fortune teller after trying the fabulous new shade “Unrestrained.” The brand employee recommended it after I confessed I was nervous about trying bold colors on my full lips. At first glance, it looked like a chocolate brown, but when I swatched it, it turned into a creamy maroon satin lip stain that I was instantly obsessed with. I almost bought it on the spot, that’s how serious I was about it.

One thing I’ll say—plan your booth visits ahead of time. If you take anything away from this blog, let it be that. Thankfully, I managed to hit Fenty Hair, Jo Malone, Rare Beauty, CaySkin, and Solo de Janeiro. I was beyond excited to learn about new products and trends for fall/winter. A few newbies like Tower 28 and Farmacy caught my eye, and I’m already testing their products. I’ll share my thoughts soon.




After visiting the booths, I checked out the “brands to watch” section of Sephoria and met Chriselle Lim, creator of Phlur, the brand behind the trending Vanilla Skin perfume. She was so sweet and shared the story behind “Father Figure,” a unisex fragrance. I also picked up some Brown Girl Jane fragrance, which has quickly become part of my rotation.

I had my eye on two masterclasses: one by Jackie Aina (her FORVR Mood perfumes are flying off the shelves) and another by Makeup by Mario, where I could learn the art of glam from the genius behind iconic Kim Kardashian and Mary J. Blige looks. Unfortunately, both were sold out by the time I bought my ticket. But I believe the beauty gods pushed me where I needed to be—right into Danessa Myricks’ beauty class.

After waiting in line, I was one of the lucky 12 who got into the class. Myricks' first lesson? Don’t be afraid to play with color. Bright, shimmery, or chrome colors should be fair game for your makeup looks. As the Queen of Chrome, she scored high across the board as a speaker. She created a makeup look on her longtime muse, Jasmine, while answering questions and offering exclusive Lightwork palettes to lucky fans who got answers right. Myricks shared a story about melting color pencils from CVS to use for her cheeks, lips, and eyes—she’s truly a sustainable, innovative queen. That mindset inspired her to create products that can be used all over the face. By the end of the class, I was ready to join the Danessa Myricks fan club.


Jasmine,                                          Danessa Myrick's long-time muse
Jasmine, Danessa Myrick's long-time muse

Danessa sharing her makeup secrets with us!
Danessa sharing her makeup secrets with us!

Leaving the masterclass, I felt inspired. I grabbed my goodie bag and walked away with new beauty brands in my daily routine. I learned new makeup tricks (like using the Love is Pride palette for a glimmering blush) and had one-on-one chats with my viral brands like Phlur. Sephoria was an investment in my growth as a freelance beauty writer. Testing out trending beauty products is often a strain on the wallet, but the complimentary samples and exclusive items gave me plenty of content to fuel my creativity. I can't wait for next year's Sephoria. I'm already planning how to spend my day at the best place ever.

Should I do a series of samples that turned into must-have full-size products ? Let me know what you think!



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